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yikebike: the sitting man’s segway

yikebike_in_action

The YikeBike is a new electric transport vehicle coming from New Zealand. The compact personal transporter features an innovative design that can speed you along through city streets and country roads without ever requiring you to stand up.

The sit-down electric YikeBike tops out at 20km/hr (appx. 12 MPH). An electric chainless drive powers the…

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October 28th, 2009 comments (4) stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: cool toys future tech strange + wonderful technology

rodem next-gen wheelchair doesn’t look like a wheelchair at all

rodem-robotic-wheelchair-1

Gundam fans! Veda (Vader?) is real! And it’s in Japan of course. Fortunately the Veda International Robot Research and Development Centre isn’t out to control or enslave humanity. It’s a joint project by robotics company Tmsuk Co. along with 10 other universities and research institutions. Veda’s first project is 0 Raiser. No wait it’s Rodem…

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August 28th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: lambert v.

filed under: design future tech mobile tech robots technology

brown energy: buses in oslo to be fueled by methane fermented from human waste

biofueled-bus

Did you know that a year’s worth of human excrement is equivalent to 2.1 gallons of diesel? Well it is. So says Ole Jakob Johansen, an officer at Oslo, Norway’s city hall. And Johansen isn’t just spouting random, disgusting trivia: in 2010 Norway’s capital will start rolling out buses fueled with methane, which in turn…

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April 17th, 2009 comments (1) stumble it! digg it! author: lambert v.

filed under: future tech strange + wonderful technology

scarpar: the anywhere board

scarpar-1

The people behind Scarpar wanted to “extend the snowboard season” which they say is quite brief in Australia. Some say that the skateboard was made so that surfers could still surf even if waves were flat. Will Scarpar be the next step in boarding?

The Scarpar runs on two tracks and is powered by a…

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April 15th, 2009 comments (1) stumble it! digg it! author: lambert v.

filed under: cool toys future tech just plain fun mobile tech technology

smart speed bump rewards good driving

smartbump intelligent speed bump

A pair of designers, Jae-yun Kim & Jong-Su Lee, have come up with a speed bump that actually knows and rewards you if you’re obeying speed limits. Vehicles who just gun it upon driving over the speed bump will encounter a normal speed bump, but those who do slow down to below 30 km/h (about 19 mi/h)…

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December 16th, 2008 comments stumble it! digg it! author: lambert v.

filed under: design future tech technology

capsule train will let you ride in a mini fortress of solitude

This “capsule train” concept will give each person their own little train compartment fiefdom to rule on their way to work. Their are individual capsules that fit one person, or larger 4-person capsules.

The concept was designed by Hamit Kanuni Kuralkan from Melbourne, Australia. There’s no word as to whether or not this thing will…

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August 3rd, 2008 comments (1) stumble it! digg it! author: karen m.

filed under: future tech strange + wonderful

desktop boat speaker: come sail away

Nexspeaker Sail Boat Speaker

Here’s a speaker for your computer that’s unlike anything I’ve seen before. The Nexspeaker FS-701SW sound system is designed to look like a wee sailboat that you can set on your desk.

Left and right channel speakers are embedded into the sails, while the boat’s hull serves as the woofer. The sails are rated at…

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October 24th, 2007 comments (1) stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: home entertainment just plain fun

magicwheel: 20 mph on a single wheel

Magic Wheel

This dramatic looking mode of transportation is said to be the modern day replacement for the skateboard.

Using a single large bicycle (or I guess that would be unicycle) wheel in front and a smaller caster in the rear for steering, it lets you achieve speeds up to 20 miles per hour, simply using your…

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July 23rd, 2007 comments (8) stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: gadgets just plain fun

rolling treadmill speeds you down the street

OOOMS Speedy Rollator

The guys over at dutch design firm OOOMS are best known for their wooden memory sticks, but here’s another interesting contraption that they also are responsible for.

Looking like a treadmill on wheels, the Speedy Rollator uses a special gear drive system to multiply your walking efforts and increase your pace.

While you won’t look quite…

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July 6th, 2007 comments (2) stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: strange + wonderful

sony to compete with segway?

Sony Human Transporter

A recently filed patent application from Sony shows that they are working on a technology that is similar to that in the ubiquitous (and superfluous) Segway Human Transporter.

The patent abstract, titled “Vehicle steerable by movement of center of gravity” describes the invention as follows:
…a vehicle which can travel in the front and back direction…

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January 3rd, 2007 comments stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: future tech